Princess Eugenie of York (Eugenie Victoria Helena; pronounced /ˈjuː.ʒəni/[2]; born 23 March 1990) is a member of the British Royal Family and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Eugenie is sixth in the Line of succession to the British Throne and has been since her birth in 1990. She is the Queen's sixth grandchild and third granddaughter.
Early life
Princess Eugenie was born on 23 March 1990 at the Portland Hospital in London. Her father is Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the third child and the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Her mother is Sarah, Duchess of York, (née Sarah Ferguson), the daughter of the late Major Ronald Ferguson and the late Susan Barrantes. She was named after HM Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She has one older sister, Princess Beatrice, who was born in 1988.
She was christened on 23 December 1990, at the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, the first royal baby to have a public christening. She was christened by the Bishop of Norwich. Her godparents were: James Ogilvy, Captain Alastair Ross; Mrs. Ronald (Sue) Ferguson (her step-grandmother); Mrs. Julia Dodd-Noble; and Miss Louise Blacker.
As a granddaughter of the British monarch in the male line, Eugenie was born a Princess of the United Kingdom with the style Her Royal Highness, and is therefore styled Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York.
Education
During her very earliest years, Eugenie attended, between 1992 and 1993, Winkfield Montessori in Surrey, and, between 1993–1995, Upton House School in Windsor. She later attended two Preparatory Schools, both as a day girl — the first, from 1995 to 2001, Coworth Park School in Surrey; the second, St George's School near Windsor Castle, from 2001 to 2003. Since 2003, she has boarded at Marlborough College in Wiltshire. Princess Eugenie has been praised for her A-level results which appear to be the best grades posted by a senior member of the royal family. The Queen's 18-year-old granddaughter achieved A grades in art and English literature and a B in history of art.[3]
Health
In October 2002 Princess Eugenie, then aged twelve, underwent back surgery at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London to correct scoliosis. She since has made a full recovery and is not expected to undergo any further surgery for that condition. The Queen, who was on an overseas tour at the time of the operation, is said to have been kept very informed on her granddaughter's operation and recovery process.
Home life
Princess Eugenie's parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, separated in 1992 when the girls were still very young. Their divorce was finalized in 1996 but it was agreed they would share custody of the children. The divorce was always amicable as the Duke and Duchess remain close friends and are "co-parents." Due to her age Eugenie does not carry out official royal duties but sometimes makes appearances with the Royal Family at events. When not at boarding school, a great deal of her time is spent with her family at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
Public appearances
Princess Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice were guests at the Concert for Diana organised by their cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, in memory of their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
She has attended many public/state functions, such as Trooping the Colour and The Queen's 80th Birthday.
The Princess has appeared in the April 2008 issue of Tatler, a magazine famous for documenting the parties and social circles of the aristocratic and very wealthy. In the interview, she insisted her grandmother, HM Queen Elizabeth II, was "one of the most amazing women ever" and that her parents, Sarah Ferguson and The Duke of York were "the best divorced couple" she knew.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 23 March 1990 –: Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie of York
Arms
The Arms are blazoned:
- Within a Lozenge ensigned by a Coronet composed of four Crosses formy and four Strawberry Leaves the Royal Arms differenced by a Label of five points Argent the centre and the exterior points each charged with a Thistle proper. The Supporters are to be the Royal Supporters charged with the like Coronet and Label.
The use of three thistle in her Arms continues the trend in royal heraldry (cf. the Arms of Prince William of Wales) of using charges from the maternal line. (The Ferguson Arms feature a crest bearing a thistle).
Ancestry
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Ancestors of Princess Eugenie of York |
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In the news
In March 2007 The Mail on Sunday reported[4] that the princess, then just turned 17, had a MySpace page. The story was picked up in Australia by The Daily Telegraph.[5] The majority of comments left on The Mail on Sunday story identified the page as a hoax.
In June of 2008 it was reported that Princess Eugenie was spotted "frolicking" naked at the end of terms at her college in England.[6]
Notes
She and her sister Beatrice are the only male-line granddaughters of the Queen to hold the title of Princess and the style Royal Highness. Her younger cousin, The Lady Louise Windsor, has been styled as the daughter of an earl, also by request of her parents, although Lady Louise remains Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex in the absence of letters patent and could, therefore, choose to adopt her royal title once she comes of age, should she so wish. Princess Eugenie's elder cousin, Zara Phillips, as a female-line granddaughter of the Queen, does not hold the title of Princess and the style of Royal Highness. Further, Phillips does not hold a courtesy title because her father, Captain Mark Phillips, declined the Queen's offer of an earldom upon his marriage to the then-Princess Anne (now The Princess Royal).
Though Eugenie's mother has a strained relationship with many senior members of the royal family, Eugenie and her sister Beatrice are very much a part of the royal fold and the Queen keeps in regular contact with them.
She is the first Princess since before the birth of her grandmother to bear the name Victoria. Queen Victoria had requested that her female descendants bear the name Victoria somewhere in their name; however, the last Princess before Eugenie to bear it was her grandmother's aunt, Princess Mary, whose first name was actually Victoria. Neither Queen Elizabeth, the late Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra, Princess Anne, nor Princess Beatrice hold the name Victoria.
References
- ^ As a titled royal, Eugenie holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Mountbatten-Windsor (or her father's territorial designation, York)
- ^ The Duchess in Hull, Episode One, Part Two (aired 19 May 2008, ITV1)
- ^ Mail Online — Princess Eugenie gets top grades in her A-levels
- ^ Nicholl, Katie. Her Royal Blogness Princess Eugenie, Daily Mail, March 24, 2007. Accessed May 30, 2008.
- ^ Eugenie the modern royal, Daily Telegraph, March 26, 2007. Accessed May 30, 2008.
- ^ Princess 'caught frolicking naked', CNN, June 14, 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.
[3] Tatler, April 2008
External links
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